I have a life simulator.

"I've heard that girls who have been in love become cuter."

"...Emi, you didn't make a date with Karuizawa today, did you?"

On the other hand, Yuko, who was naturally a bit timid, observed the situation for a long time before hesitantly speaking.

"Yeah, anyway, it's been a long time since I've seen Hui, and I really miss her."

Emi Jiangpu smoothed her hair:

"And I guess she's wearing a white sleeveless dress today."

Yuko and Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, seemingly not quite believing Emi's words. It was Emi herself who had first instigated them to bully Karuizawa Megumi in the class, yet now she was acting like a good friend waiting for her best friend. This contrast made the two of them feel a chill in their hearts, and they dared not speak anymore.

"Ouch."

Jiangpu Huimei estimated that the time was almost up, and leaning against the wall, she glanced at the two of them casually:

"Be careful in a moment, it's best not to talk."

After seeing the two nod in agreement, Emi Jiang leaned quietly against the wall and continued to play with her nails. She had a bag slung across her shoulder, just like any other ordinary woman shopping.

Sure enough, after only about two minutes, Karuizawa Megumi appeared in their field of vision.

Jiangpu Huimei stretched and walked out. The intense sunlight pierced through her body and cast a huge shadow on the wall, like a bird of prey spreading its wings, ready to hunt.

"Hui, over here."

The enormous bird of prey flapped its wings.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm not late, am I?"

Just as Emi Eura had predicted, Karuizawa Megumi was indeed wearing that white sleeveless dress today.

She jogged over to the three of them and instinctively apologized first.

Emi looked down at Karuizawa with a hint of glee. She could feel the almost overflowing unease and fear in Karuizawa, which only fueled her. She almost brazenly put her hand on Karuizawa's shoulder and said to her:

"It's okay, it won't take long anyway."

"Hui's clothes look great today, but won't white clothes get dirty easily? If they get splashed with water or stained with something else, they'll probably be hard to wash."

Immediately afterwards, as if realizing she had said something wrong, she offered a cryptic apology:

"Hui, don't worry too much. I'll talk to them after everyone's emotions have calmed down."

Jiangpu Huimei took her hand and kindly led her into the mall:

"You must be tired from running all the way here. There's a really nice coffee shop on the basement floor of the mall. Let's go buy something to drink."

Karuizawa Kei was naturally speechless, and the other two followed Emi Eura like puppets.

"One iced Americano, three times the amount of pearl mango latte."

Once inside the coffee shop, Emi Jiangpu pretended to order drinks for all four of them, and only after placing the order did she turn to Megumi Karuizawa and say:

"The iced Americano here is definitely worth trying. Xiaoxi, Youzi, and I had it last time, so we won't order it this time. Huike should definitely give it a try."

Karuizawa Kei quickly agreed:

"oh oh."

The four of them took their receipts and found a table in the coffee shop to sit down. The gleaming tabletop reflected them clearly like a mirror. For Karuizawa Kei, the last time she had such an experience was at least two months ago, so much so that she now felt a sense of novelty and unease for the first time in a long time.

The restaurant prepared the food faster than Karuizawa Kei had imagined. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the waiter had already brought over four drinks. The iced Americano, which was different from the other three, was quickly placed in front of Karuizawa Kei.

The dark brown liquid was mixed with transparent ice cubes. Karuizawa Megumi had never drunk an iced Americano before, or rather, she simply disliked bitter things.

She hesitated to take a sip, and Emi Jiangpu on the other side also showed no intention of drinking her beverage. Only the other two drank cautiously, not even daring to make too much noise when sucking on the straw.

"This restaurant is pretty good, isn't it?"

Jiangpu Huimei turned her gaze to Xiaoxi and Youzi. As soon as she finished speaking, the two of them nodded quickly, and the sound of them slurping through their straws suddenly became louder. They drank one after another, seemingly eager to create a lively and harmonious environment.

As Karuizawa Megumi's gaze shifted in her direction, she quickly put her lips to the straw, intending to force herself to take a sip.

She held the cold glass, the chill and bitterness seemingly already penetrating her veins through the thin glass.

"Ah, it seems that Hui can't drink bitter things."

Emi Jiangpu clapped her hands as if she had suddenly remembered something, which made Megumi Karuizawa stop moving for a moment.

"Sorry sorry."

She clasped her hands together, smiled, and apologized to Karuizawa Kei, looking both sincere and remorseful.

"How about Hui swaps your iced Americano with mine?"

Jiangpu Huihao kindly pushed her drink towards the other person.

"Oh, okay, but does Hye-mi like this kind of drink?"

Karuizawa was naturally overjoyed and agreed almost immediately, but soon felt something was amiss and kept glancing at Emi.

"I really don't like the taste. To be honest, I don't think it tastes good."

Emi Jiangpu seemed to suddenly change her expression, tapping the table with her long fingernails as she raised an eyebrow at Megumi Karuizawa.

Karuizawa Megumi felt a sudden chill run through her body. The iced Americano she was about to offer to Emi Ura felt like a frozen river swallowing her whole. She hurriedly replied, shivering:

"Yes, then it's best if I drink it myself."

Karuizawa Megumi quickly bit the straw into her mouth and took two big gulps, as if eager to show that her previous behavior was just a pretense and that she absolutely had no intention of handing it to Emi.

“It’s actually quite delicious.”

Karuizawa Kei replied in this way.

"Really? Then I'll give it a try."

"...I've already had my drink, so I'll pass."

Emi Jiangpu seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Karuizawa Megumi's somewhat deferential behavior. She straightened up and leaned towards Karuizawa Megumi, as if she wanted to take the iced Americano directly.

But just as her fingers touched the half-full iced Americano, Emi Kamiya's hand inadvertently pushed the glass, and the entire glass, along with the dark brown liquid, lurched backward toward Karuizawa Megumi.

"Clang."

This is the sound of a glass falling over and hitting the table.

Transparent ice cubes rolled onto the table with a gurgling sound, and the gushing coffee stained the seat cushions brown.

Karuizawa Kei was pulled away. Although the person who pulled her away was quick enough, some coffee still splashed onto the hem of her white skirt.

Kitagawa Ryo stood in front of her.

His dark pupils reflected Emi's image, his lips pressed into a hard line, then that line quickly broke, and Kitagawa Ryo smiled at her, revealing his snow-white teeth.

His left hand was tightly gripping Karuizawa Megumi's arm, while his right hand slowly raised, transforming his palm into a knife.

Then, he made a throat-slitting motion.

"You're dead."

Kitagawa Ryo made this declaration silently.

Chapter Nine: Will Liang leave again?

After moving, Karuizawa lost contact with Kitagawa Ryo for about six months. A photo of Karuizawa and Kitagawa together was framed and placed on the desk in the room. It was a photo of the two of them at their elementary school graduation ceremony, both wearing black and white uniforms.

About two months ago, Karuizawa moved this group photo from her desk to her bedside. During the worst period of school bullying, she almost fell asleep while looking at or even holding this photo. In the long nights, Kitagawa Ryo in the photo became a three-dimensional sculpture or a section of city wall, guarding her there silently, protecting Karuizawa day after day.

These two months were almost longer than any period in Karuizawa Megumi's past, so much so that in the few seconds it took for cold water to be splashed on her head, the water droplets rolling from the tips of her hair all the way to her feet, she could instantly recall all her time in elementary school, as if the scene of Kitagawa Ryo still being by her side half a year ago was already like a long-ago, gradually desolate old road.

Karuizawa Kei felt as if she had once walked this road hand in hand with Kitagawa Ryo, but now it was completely submerged. The moss of time had firmly filled all the gaps in her memory, separating them into one fragment after another.

Even now, Kitagawa Ryo stands before Karuizawa Megumi once again.

As always, it's been a long time.

"Emi Jiangpu, I remember you."

Kitagawa Ryo bent down, his back and shadow obscuring Emi's figure, and lowered his voice:

"I will come to see you again after I have learned about what happened between you and Hui."

The sound of the glass falling to the ground had already attracted the attention of many customers and waiters in the coffee shop. Even if Kitagawa Ryo was angry, he couldn't possibly vent his anger in public. After all, to others who didn't know the inside story, it seemed to be just an accident where a drink was accidentally knocked over.

Kitagawa Ryo looked at the girl who was particularly surprised by his arrival. Emi's eyes were filled with disbelief. She had waited for a whole semester to confirm that there was no one named "Kitagawa Ryo" by Karuizawa Kei's side. If he were still there, he would not have been able to stand by and do nothing while Karuizawa Kei suffered from school bullying for about a month.

Jiangpu Huimei subconsciously put her left hand on her handbag, even feeling somewhat relieved that Kitagawa Ryo had appeared before her actions. If it had been an hour or two later, she really would have done what she planned...

After saying this, Kitagawa Ryo pulled the still somewhat dizzy Megumi straight out of the store, leaving behind three girls who were a little at a loss.

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo stepped out of the coffee shop, he felt Karuizawa Megumi hug him.

When she looked up, Kitagawa Ryo saw droplets of water gathering in Karuizawa Megumi's azure pupils, like a devout believer seeing his Lord. Karuizawa Megumi buried her face in Kitagawa Ryo's chest and began to sob softly.

Kitagawa Ryo had once seen Karuizawa Megumi cry when she was six or seven years old. At that time, she was a child who cried very easily. Even if it was just sand in her shoes and she was afraid of being scolded by her mother, she would subconsciously pout and cry.

When people are happy, all they need to do is smile and control the muscles at the corners of their mouths to lift them up. This is an action that requires almost no effort, and many people have even developed the habit of smiling. However, no one will hold back tears in their eyes, because crying requires thousands or hundreds of times more effort than laughing.

So Kitagawa Ryo could only hold Karuizawa Megumi tightly in his arms. For the first time, he felt that Megumi was still a child. Even her sobbing on his shoulder had a childlike quality. But it was this childlike quality that made Kitagawa Ryo feel both heartache and sadness. So he could only stay in this position.

At this moment, Kitagawa Ryo seemed to no longer be Karuizawa Kei's childhood friend of the same age; his status was suddenly elevated. Realizing this, Kitagawa Ryo quickly took out a tissue from his pocket and used his hand to hold Karuizawa Kei's face to wipe away her tears.

It's okay, it's okay, I'm back.

He almost subconsciously intended to use that coaxing tone with a child again, but Kitagawa Ryo ultimately restrained himself. He led Karuizawa Megumi to sit on a bench nearby. There were two high school couples nearby, but they seemed to have seen this kind of situation many times, and after glancing at each other twice, they continued their affectionate and tender interactions.

"Can you tell me about Hui?"

Kitagawa Ryo waited a while longer until Megumi's emotions had completely calmed down before asking.

"...Liang shouldn't have asked such a question right away."

Karuizawa Megumi, who had barely stopped crying but whose eyes were still red, sniffed, her right hand still tightly holding Kitagawa Ryo's left hand.

"Liang should say 'I'm back' first, and then I should say 'Welcome back'."

"So Hui is someone who values ​​rituals this much?"

Kitagawa Ryo reached out to tidy her slightly messy hair, and just as he finished and was about to pull his hand away, Karuizawa Megumi pressed his hand down with her left hand:

"Keep touching it."

Karuizawa Megumi leaned her entire body against Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder, resting her head on his chest.

"You can only stop when I say stop."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't remember that Karuizawa Kei was such a clingy person before. He assumed that Karuizawa Kei was like this because he hadn't seen her for half a year, so he continued to gently stroke her hair, as if he were stroking a docile large dog.

"cold."

"Ah."

"You can't say 'um,' you have to say 'I'm here.'"

"I'm here."

"cold."

"I'm here."

"That's good."

Karuizawa Kei closed her eyes, curled up into a small ball like a baby, hiding in Kitagawa Ryo's arms, not wanting to move or go out.

"Liang, I really want to grow up quickly and become an adult. I don't want to stay in school anymore."

She was talking like a child, indulging in daydreams.

Kitagawa Ryo had already guessed that Karuizawa Kei had probably suffered from school bullying again in the past six months, just like before. He pursed his lips and listened to Karuizawa Kei's words.

"School is awful, and so are the interpersonal relationships. I just don't want to be bullied, but no matter what I do, I end up being bullied anyway."

"If Ryo doesn't come back, I'll probably be bullied for another two years. What will happen when I graduate and go to high school?"

"I don't know, I'm so scared, I don't dare to think about it."

Karuizawa Megumi's gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if she had recalled some unpleasant memories. She swayed and stared directly at Kitagawa Ryo, then hugged him again.

"sorry."

She whispered in Kitagawa Ryo's ear, and then Karuizawa Megumi lightly kissed Kitagawa Ryo's neck.

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